Windshield heater



March 26, 1935. H. HUEBER WINDSHIELD HEATER 2. Shets-Sheet 1 Filed May 16, 19:52

9 n INVENToR 9 l* BY '157e/Zig Huebe ATTORNEY-f March 26, 1935. H. HUEBER 1,996,019

wINDsHIELD HEATER Filed Mayvle., 1932 :ay sheets-sheet 2 F193 Y 1 l IN VENT 0R Herzig Haee Patented Mar. 26, 193.5

UNITED s'ilarrltsA WINDSHIELD HEATER Henry Hueber, Bulalo, N. Y., assignorvto Trico Products Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application May 16, 1932, Serial No. 611,743l

4 Claims.

This invention relates to means for preventing the collection or accumulation of ice, snow, or sleet upon the Windshields of automobiles, boats and other motor vehicles, by projecting heated air against the windshield glass.

In the operation of vehicles' during cold weather, ice, snow and sleet frequently accumulate on the vehicle windshields, impairing the operators vision therethrough. As it has been found that the usual windshield cleaners of the wiper type cannot alone clear the windshields of such accumulations, proposals have been' receiving air heated by a radiator or heaterv within the body', and for discharging such air, under pressure, against the Windshield, for heating the latter and thereby melting or preventing accumulation of frozen moisture. More especially, the device includes ablower, operable by suction maintaining in the air or fuel intake of the engine, for enforcing the ow of heated air through a conduit extending entirely within the vehicle body from the heater to the portion of the windshield in front of the operator. The parts of the conduit are adjustable to enable installation of the device in different kinds .of vehicles having different internal dimensions.

These and other objects and advantages will appear from the following description 'of the typical embodiment of theinvention illustrated a in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the device, showing it installed in the interior of the body of a motor vehicle; v

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the device, viewing it from the rear; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional 'view of the device and the adjacent portions of a vehicle;

Fig. 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

deposits that the windshield wiper can remove Fig. 5 is a fragmentary `elevation of one of the parts shown in Fig. 4. I

As shown in Figs. 1 vand 2, the vehicle may have a windshield 11 with a supporting structure or instrument panel 12 therebeneath, and a dash- 5 board 13 disposed below and forwardlyvof thev windshield. Mounted on the dashboard is a heater 15 of any suitable type, the illustrated heater; being of the hot water radiator type and comprising a radiator core 16 through which lo water heated by the vehicle engine (not illustrated) is,7 circulated via conduits 17. f

Disposed adjacent to and overlying a portion of the heater 15 is a heated air receiver .18, the same being a terminal portion of a conduit 19.- 15 The conduit may extend'beneath the vehicle cowl 21 between the dashboard and instrument panel tofa point beneath the area of the windshield which is in front of the operator, usually in the path-of the Windshield wiper, indicated I on Fig. 1 at 22. To the latter part of the conduit 19 is affixed a blower casing 23 of substantially cylindrical form and hav.ng a tangential tubular extension 2,4.- extending into adjacency with the ibottom edge of the instrument panel 12 of the 25 vehicle. A substantially vertical conduit portion 25, preferably of non-circular cross section, coinprises a continuation of the extension 24. A bracket 33 connected to the casing 23 may be secured to lthe dashboard 13 for supporting the 30 conduit.

' The receiver 18 is elongated to extend across a portion of the heater l5 and obstruct as little of the eiective area of the latter as possible while at the same time it will receive ample volume of the heated air for carriage over to the windshield. Since it is very necessary to heat the windshield glass suciently above the freezing temperature, in order to loosen any congealed matter on its exterior side, the receiver 18 is preferably posi- 40 tioned adjacent the top of the heater l5 for re Vceiving the air which passes over that portion of the core 16 which is most intensely heated. IThis also leaves the remaining portion of the core which isless highly heated exposed for the comfort of the occupants of the car.

Telescoped over the conduit portion 25, and coaxial therewith; is a tubular member 26 having a discharge opening 27 at its upper end for directing uid against the Windshield. A fastener 28 secures the member 26 tothe instrument panel 12. A vertical slot 29 is formed in the upper end of conduit portion 25 and a registering aperture 31 is provided in member 26. y A fastener 32, extended through the slot and aperture, serves-to secure the conduit portion 25 to member 26. By

reason of this mode of connection the' device may be readily adjusted to the dimensions of various kinds of vehicles.

A bearing 35 extends through the wall 36 of the casing 23 opposite the conduit 19, and is in sub- -shaft a turbine wheel 39 is aixed, the wheel 'having about its periphery a plurality of struck out inclined blades 4 1.

A casing section 42, having a reduced tubu1ar portion 43 telescoped over bearing 35 and abutting the blower housing 23, extends about the turbine wheel 39. Secured to casing section 42 is a flanged cover plate 44 carrying a tubular iluid outlet iitting 45. The latter connects to a hose or conduit 46 leading to the intake manifold of the vehicle engine or other suitable source of.

less-than-atmospheric pressure. A screw valve 46 threaded into the tubular fitting 45, is adjustable to vary or stop the flow of fluid through the fitting and through conduit 46.

Secured to the cover 44 is discharge nozzle 47, open to the atmosphere and so disposed relative to the turbine wheel 39 that fluid ejected from the discharge end 48 of the nozzle will impinge against the turbine blades 41 to effect rotation of the turbine wheel.

When not in use, the screw valve 46 is closed so that the device is inoperative. When the vehicle is being operated under such conditions that ice, sleet or snow have collected upon the windshield or threaten to do so, the valve 46 inay be opened. Thereupon, the intake manifold or other source of suction will withdraw air from the interior of the turbine casing 42, via fitting and conduit 46, to reduce the pressure within the turbine casing below the pressure of the atmosphere.

Atmospheric air will now through the nozzle 47 and impinge upon the turbine blade 41 to rotate wheel 39, shaft 37 and blower motor 38. The latter, by centrifugal action, will cause ain heated by the heater 15 to enter the receiver` 18 and flow through conduit 19, and will discharge the heated air, through conduit'sections 25 and' 26, and openclearing the windshield, or at least that portion of it directly in front of the operator.

It will be understood that any heat, residual in the air discharged against the windshield, which is not utilized in .heating the windshield and melting frozen deposits thereon, will be carried to other parts of the vehicle interior by convection, `so that it will not be wasted. `It will be understood further that the device herein describedand illustrated is merely' illustrative of one embodiment of the inventive principles involved, and that the latter may be utilized in devices having other structural characteristics and arrangements, all within the purview of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A windshield heater comprising, in combination with means for supplying warm air, a body provided with a passage therethrough, one' end of the passage being disposed to receive warm air from said supply means, a distributor nozzle separate and distinct from the body, means securing the nozzle to the windshield for discharging warm air thereover, and means detachably connecting the nozzle to the body to receive warm l air from its passage and tosupport the body from the windshield supported nozzle whereby when said detachable means is rendered inoperative said body may be removed from the nozzle. Y

2. In combination with a vehicle having a passenger compartment with a windshield and an internal combustion engine, said engine having an intake manifold, a heater in said compartment deriving its heat from said engine, a conduit in said compartment having one end open and disposedto receive air from said heater, and the other end of the conduit being open and positioned adjacent the windshield for discharging air thereagainst, and a blower in said conduit for drawing air from the heater and enforcing its iiow through the conduit.

3. A windshield yheater for. a motor vehicle having a heater therein to warm -the passengerv compartment of the vehicle,vcomprising a conduit, means on one end of said conduit for receiving a portion of the heated air output from the heater, the other end of said conduit 4being adapted to direct the received heated air against the windshield, and means interposed in said conduit for drawing heated air from the heater and discharging it against the windshield.

4. In combination, a heater for the passenger compartment of a vehicle, a windshield heater comprising a conduit having a collector end disposed adjacent the compartment heater for receiving warm air therefrom anda distributor end disposed to discharge the collected warm air over the windshield, and air ow creating means carried by the conduit for inducing an inflow of air HENRY HUEBER.

tributor end. 

